Harvey Cotten: Butterfly Weed deserves a better name

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The most accepted definition of a weed is a "plant out of place" but in the case of Butterfly Weed, this plant deserves a place in everyone's garden and throughout our public parks and spaces.

This beautiful native herbaceous perennial grows over almost half of the United States from Newfoundland down to Florida and then west to Texas and north through the Midwestern Plains states to Nebraska.

The term weed likely came into play with this plant since it was growing in so many different places, especially in areas that had very poor, dry soils. I, for one, think that calling this plant a weed does it an incredible disservice.

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa ass-KLE-pee-us too-ber-OH-suh) is a member of the Milkweed family that is so important to the life cycle of many of our native butterflies. This herbaceous perennial is the larval host plant for the Monarch and Queen butterflies. These butterflies lay their eggs on the foliage of the Butterfly Weed and after the caterpillars emerge they eat the foliage, growing ever larger until they are ready to undergo metamorphosis and become an adult butterfly.

Many other native butterflies are attracted to Butterfly Weed for the abundant nectar that is produced each year by the large clusters of flowers opening in late May and continuing to bloom through September. Swallowtails, Hairstreaks, Admirals, Fritillaries and Painted Ladies all visit Butterfly Weed for nourishment. Butterfly Weed is an important component of the rich biological diversity needed to sustain our natural environment.

Butterfly Weed grows in full sun and reaches a height of 2 to 3 feet tall. The foliage consists of lance-shaped leaves up to 3 inches long, very dark green in color arranged in a spiral up the stem. Flowers are flat-top clusters at the end of each stem and can measure up to 5 inches across. The most predominant color is a bright vivid orange but shades of yellow, yellow-orange and even red can be found in seedling populations.

Butterfly Weed is very hardy, but it is often slow to emerge in spring. Do not despair if you do not see new growth coming out of the soil until mid to late April, much later than almost all of the other herbaceous perennials growing in your garden.

In our area the biggest problem is poor drainage. Amending our clayey soils to improve drainage will help tremendously because this plant is very tolerant of dry conditions; too much water may cause crown rot. Other pest problems include aphids that love the sticky leaves, stems and seed pods found on the plants.

Butterfly Weed flowers over a long period of time, and its vivid orange color stands out in the garden border. It blends well with other perennials with yellow, white and blue flowers. With the long bloom season you can expect many, many butterflies to visit your garden and you may even see a few hummingbirds coming to sip a bit of nectar from each flower cluster. Unlike other members of the Milkweed family, Butterfly Weed does not produce an abundance of milky sap when the stem is cut.

We primarily know Asclepias tuberosa as a butterfly attractor plant but it has had many medicinal uses throughout the years. The American Indians used the root to help cure pulmonary problems. It is known as pleurisy root for this reason and the genus name, Asclepias, is from Aesculapius, the Greek god of medicine. In the Southeastern states there are over 13 different species of Asclepias and most of these have some medicinal value.

For its outstanding beauty, ease of growing, tolerance to drought and poor soils and its importance to the biological diversity of our environment consider adding Butterfly Weed to your garden landscape.

Harvey Cotten is the chief horticulturist and vice president at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. Write to harvey.cotten@htimes.com or c/o The Huntsville Times, P.O. Box 1487, West Station, Huntsville 35807.